Recently Variety did an article about how Vfx supervisors are playing more important roles on film sets now. They used to be just used when it came down to post-production, but now because of the rapid increase and demand of CGI-heavy films, the Vfx supervisors have been taking on a lot more responsibility lately.
Variety gives us this:
Nowadays, though, the Vfx supervisor of an effects-heavy tentpole is part of pre-production, shooting and post. He or she starts on the film before the editor and continues after the writers and d.p. have moved on.
That has turned the job into a kind of uber-technician-diplomat whose job touches all departments, as Sam Raimi was somewhat shocked to discover when he started work on the “Spider-Man” franchise.“Here was a department that usually would provide a specialty part of a single shot,” he says. “But now this department would provide not only the main character, which is outrageously different, but entire environments. Suddenly they have the power and the responsibility of the costume department, the acting department, and they work immediately with the directors, versus just the editors.
“Then, in addition, because they create the environment, they now are the people to consult with about what the set is going to look like, and how the set will be designed and where the action will take place and the feel of the film.”
This to me is very interesting because I think about what we will expect in the future. Vfx supervisors are already playing director and editor to movies, and because technology is moving so fast (and it’s going to slow down anytime soon), will they be taking over the most important job positions when it comes to making a movie?
Will talented editors, directors, set designers, casting directors be out of a job in the next few decades? (It’s a scary thought if you think about it.)
Regardless of what’s going to happen in the future, it got me thinking about the Present and how we should be giving these talented contributors far more recognition come Oscar time.
Although, those are just my thoughts on the issue. What do you guys’ think?
I don’t think anyone will be out of a job, we still need set designs and costume departments but 3-D computer modeling will be the industry standard if it’s not already. And we can expect more directors to emerge out of effects houses, which we’re already seeing (AvP part 2).
Makes me wonder what it’s going to be like for me. This crazy merging of of jobs is really interesting for me since I’m studying to be journalist. It’s pretty much the same thing happening in that field. You gotta do editing, layout, photography. Not just writing the story and passing it on to someone else. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.